TRADE AND MARKETING ‘Our customers want total solutions: fro When colours are fading, it’s time for a fresh layer of paint. This doesn’t only apply to the interior but also to the exterior of a building. In a figurative sense, it also applies to the activities of an entrepreneur. The exterior of the APH Group in Heerenveen has been green for a long time because they export chiefly machinery and equipment for the primary sector. The paint has faded over the years as a result of the expansion of activities such as the supply of complete packaging lines for more industrial applications. So it’s not only time for a fresh layer of paint, but also for a few extra colours. As of recently, APH green is again highlighting the ‘farmers’ branch, and the added ‘grey/stainless steel with touches of red’ symbolises their recent industrial activities. Director Michiel Eilander is responsible for the new department. That’s why we have a few colourful questions for him about the who, what, how and why of APH Group Engineering. You recently set up APH Group Engineering. Why this separate branch? ‘Yes, that’s a good question. As you know, we’ve been in the trade for years. We’ve been selling many lines, including Manter and Bijlsma Hercules machinery, in recent decades. But we’ve also sold a lot of machinery for the actual work in the field. Companies abroad mainly know us from that line of business. So, we have mostly a green image. For entrepreneurs on the look out for packaging lines, it’s not clear enough that we also work in that segment. In many countries where we do business, this is a completely different branch, a different link in the chain. To be recognisable there too, we’ve opted for a specific focus on name and product colours. We’ve replaced green by grey and stainless steel with touches of red. This is reflected in the machinery as well as the brochures and advertisements. Another reason for positioning Engineering in a different segment is the fact that the people working there are 100 percent focused on this branch.’ What does that mean exactly? ‘With APH Group Engineering we focus entirely on all postharvest investment in potatoes and field vegetables. This is the segment between field and wholesale trade. All you need for your product from delivery to consumer purchase. This is mostly weighing, grading, washing and packaging, in short the entire line. No processing. French-fry lines and peeled products are not part of the new line. It’s much more convenientlyarranged for the customer now. There will be only one contact. A question from a customer is followed by a conversation with ‘For now, we’re only seeing a growth market for special products such as packaging APH’, Michiel Eilander explains. one person who talks everything through with the customer and keeps an eye on everything. A person who can ask questions such as: who are your customers, what are their requirement, is the market growing?’ Could you, please, give an example? ‘We recently had a big customer in Russia, who supplied most of his potatoes directly to Frito-Lay. They cultivated and stored potatoes and delivered them in bulk, or packed in boxes. More growth in activities was no longer expected as regards a possible increase in product value. What they considered feasible at a certain point was to supply table potatoes straight to the shops. This has been possible for a few years now, because the supermarkets are currently shooting up like mushrooms in Russia, especially in the big cities. Meanwhile, those supermarkets are also developing very quickly themselves. Until recently, they only offered potatoes unpacked in 20 kg boxes. 4 Potato World 2014 • number 2 Pagina 3
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